12/24/2022
Not Even Getting to the Food Review for December 23, 2022
Mr. Han's, PART ONE
Call me Ishmael.
This story begins NOT with a recent visit to a restaurant, oh no. This story truly starts over a thousand days ago, back in the before times... before the war, before the empire. Allow me, if you will, to take you on a journey through space and time~
The time: Late Feb, 2020, 7:30-ish p.m. Just before most of us in the states would fully grasp the weight of the pandemic with the NBA's closing. The space: Regal Cinemas 14 behind Butler Plaza and Archer Road.
"But Loga- err, Ishmael, that's nowhere near Mr. Han's!"
Asdfgh it's called world building! Stage-setting! If I don't build up _why_ this matters, why should anyone care?
I digress.
My wife and I were planning to see the second My Hero Academia movie, Heroes Rising. We got to the theater, checked to make sure the time was correct, and discovered that she had accidentally purchased tickets for the Japanese dialogue, English subtitles version. We watch MHA in English so that we can follow along while doing other stuff, usually laundry or dishes.
An aside: Don't @ me with the sub vs. dub "debate," because there isn't one. Both are good for different reasons. Let people like what they like, it's 2022 geez.
Aaaaanyway, the next English dub version isn't until 10:30. We're here early enough to get concessions-substituting-as-dinner for a movie at 8. So we do the next best thing: Refund the subbed movie tix, buy dubbed movie tix, and search around for food. My mind immediately jumps to Mr. Han's, and away we go.
We arrive, and before we get to the door, I see the metal plaque saying "proper attire essential." My wife and I are huuuuge dorks, so we're done up to see a Japanese superhero anime feature, not eat at a proper sit-down Chinese restaurant. Besides, we'll be back soon, I reasoned.
We all know how the rest of 2020 went. 2021 wasn't much better, overall. Heck, Mr. Han's had a kitchen fire and totally refurbished the restaurant; we have four of the old chairs in the garage for when we do hot pot in the living room with friends.
In that time, as days became weeks became months became years, Mr. Han's turned into something mythical for me. It wasn't just that I wanted the food - I could get it to-go if I wanted, but I didn't want it, not like that - I wanted ~the experience~. I was searching for a job at the time, too, so the next goalpost I created was that we'd go when I got a job.
When I finally got one this July, we....... just didn't go. For one reason after another, there was always a reason to delay it, and delay it we did. The goalposts kept moving, and usually of my own blockheaded volition, at that.
December 22, 2022, as I approach my 31st birthday... finally, we're going. My wife and I set this plan and manuever other goings-on around it rather than moving this one. We are done up quite nicely, especially me. "Proper attire essential," right? In my adult life, I have only dressed up as fancy or fancier for about four other occasions, two of which were weddings (one being my own). We finally get there, cross the balcony pathway and pass the threshold, dreams becoming actions becoming reality. A thousand days of wishing, of hoping, of life happening in the meantime...
And there are people in denim jackets and jeans and bog-standard polo shirts. I could have gone so much earlier, and the only reason I didn't is because I kept getting in my own head.
END OF PART ONE.
